Waldron and Fischels capture State Coed Golf Championship

Clear Lake’s Dane Waldron and Malorie Fischels captured the 2013 Class 1A State Coed Golf Championship held in Boone Tuesday, June 4.  The pair earned the title by four strokes with a score of (-1) 35. 

Approximately 58 pairings from the state competed in the tournament.  Clear Lake entered two teams, the 

Waldron/Fischels pairing and the team of Jon Carew and Paige Backhaus.  After about a two-hour rain delay, officials opted to turn the event into only a nine-hole tournament so that they would get it in before the next storms arrived.

Colynn Black and Christine Ausman, from Nevada, and Alex Krehbiel and Nick Pundt, from Central Lee, tied for second with rounds of 39.  Clear Lake’s Carew and Backhaus were among six teams to card a 44.   The score placed them just out of the top 20.

“Although Mother Nature wasn’t ideal, it was just great that they were able to get the tournament done and we just happened to have the best duo of the day,” said Assistant Golf Coach Adam Brinkman, who accompanied the students to the event.  “During the two-hour delay, while all the other teams were inside trying to stay dry, all four Clear Lakers were outside braving the elements on the putting green and driving range.  I even told them that they didn’t need to be out practicing in the rain and to just relax for a while, but none of them agreed.  I think that’s why we came home with that first place finish. We were prepared for the elements and we didn’t let that get in the way of our mental toughness.” 

Waldron and Fischels had their ‘A’ game, despite the weather, finishing with two birdies, one bogey and six pars.  

“The front nine at Cedar Pointe Country Club is a fairly short, but tight course, which helped because they are fairly long hitters, and not once got themselves in any trouble,” said Brinkman.  It was fairways and greens all day for the pair, which was the difference compared to the others.  “To shoot under par in an alternate shot co-ed meet is one heck of a score,” he added.

“I know Malorie was pretty upset with the way she finished at the State Tournament and she gave it her all to finish her Clear Lake High School career with a bang.  She was making putts left and right, including a 20-foot birdie putt on the hardest and longest hole on the course straight into a 20 mph wind, and that to me was the highlight of the day for the team.”

  Carew and Backhaus didn’t have their best day, shooting a 44.

“They both were kind of struggling on their approach shots and around the greens. You could tell that they were frustrated, but they never quit,” said Brinkman.   “The two of them are both coming back next year, so I know they are going to work hard all summer and will be ready to go for next year’s golf season.”